


Fluff and Holiday Cheer

by TyrusStillLives



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Confessions, Cyrus is an oblivious gay disaster, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Kippen Siblings, M/M, T. J. has an obvious crush, They spend the holidays together, everyone ships it, including tj's dad, they have a single dad, tj also has a best friend that's not Cyrus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:21:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyrusStillLives/pseuds/TyrusStillLives
Summary: This is a fluffy Holiday fic between our two favorite gay disasters with some Muffy and Ambi as well. T.J. is so obvious but is angsty and overthinking and Cyrus pretty much is too. Almost canon compliant, but it takes place somewhat in the future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Updates pretty frequently. Let me know what you think!

After basketball practice, T.J. rushes to his locker to pull out his phone. He can’t hold back the smile that tugs at his mouth when he sees the text from the contact name ‘Underdog’. He opens it up to see ‘Hey, can you meet me, Andi, and Buffy at The Spoon after practice? It’s the last school night before Hanukkah begins which is an especially busy time when you have four parents (I’m definitely not ready to be psychoanalyzed like I am every year because I have therapist aunts and uncles too). Okay I’ll stop rambling, but lmk if you can come.’ His smile grows at the adorableness of the boy’s rants. They had become increasingly common and he was hoping that it was because Cyrus was feeling the same feelings of affection that T.J. was feeling towards Cyrus.

Suddenly, his teammate’s words pull him out of the clouds and back to earth. “Aw, what’s Kippen all smiley about?” Darren teases. T.J. instinctively puts his phone down and begins to wipe off his sweaty face with the towel in his locker.

“It’s probably that Goodman kid,” his friend Chris yells from the opposite side of the smelly locker room.

“Oooo, does T.J. have a girl?” Darren coos causing T.J.’s jaw to tense. Darren isn’t exactly the most “woke”, and he doesn’t always make the most sensitive comments. But T.J. doesn’t want to hide himself from his teammates anymore.

“Well, Cyrus is a boy and he’s not mine,” T.J. responds resentfully, “So no.”

He expects Darren to make some insensitive comment, but he just throws his hands up defensively and says, “Love who you love.”

T.J. is about to speak when Chris runs up behind him and pats him on the back, “Don’t lie, Kippen. You want him to be yours, don’t you?”

“Okay yes I do!” he gives in, figuring it’s impossible to hide at this point. “He’s literally the best person on the planet, but he’s not my boy.”

“Wait, is Cyrus that kid that comes to like every one of our games?” Darren asks.

T.J. nods while feeling his cheeks heat up and says, “He’s just a really supportive friend.”

Chris rolls his eyes. “Dude,” he says, “Lock that man down. He likes you!”

“Thanks man,” T.J. replies, “But I don’t think I’ll be taking advice from your dumbass.”

“You wound me, Kippen,” Chris jokes, putting his hand to his heart and feigning heartbreak. “As your best friend I cannot sit here and watch you silently pine over a guy who obviously likes you back.”

“Shut up, I have to respond to him,” T.J. replies, earning a laugh from both Darren and Chris.

Darren picks up his backpack, closes his locker, and heads out the door with a wave to the other two. T.J. pulls out his phone and opens his texts back up. He smiles again as he notices the heart emoji that Cyrus sent with his text, not noticing Chris who has begun reading Cyrus’s message over his shoulder. T.J. begins to type a response, unable to hold himself back from using his own heart emojis.

“First of all you two use way too many heart emojis in your conversations,” Chris says, as T.J. jumps and moves his phone out of Chris’s eyesight. “Second of all, you’re meeting him at The Spoon? That’s practically a date!”

“It’s a group thing,” T.J. defends, “And we hang out at The Spoon all the time.”

“Okay, but I don’t send heart emojis to you,” Chris says, “And by the way, the double heart emoji is particularly bold, Kippen.”

T.J. can’t hide the blush that makes it’s way onto his cheeks as he replies, “We just have a different friendship.”

“Yeah!” Chris agrees. “You two have the friendship of two lovesick idiots who are too scared to make the first move”

“Excuse you,” T.J. responds defensively, “Cyrus is very smart.”

“He’s an idiot if he can’t tell that you’re literally so whipped for him.”

“Whatever,” T.J. says in a failed attempt to be nonchalant. “I’m gonna be late.” T.J. runs to the sink to splash his face with water and style his hair a before he sees the other boy. He doesn’t have time to take a shower so he douses himself with cologne, puts on deodorant, and throws his light blue basketball hoodie over his bare chest. He turns his attention to his hair again, still unsatisfied with the unkempt look of it. Chris notices and pulls his hands away from his hair.

“You look like fire, Kippen,” he says with a reassuring smile and a friendly punch to his shoulder, “You wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.”

“You’re a dumbass,” T.J. says playfully shoving Chris back as he goes to gather his stuff.

“And you’re a gay dumbass,” Chris responds, “Now go get your man!”

T.J. closes his locker and runs out the door of the locker room.

\--------

Cyrus and T.J. sit on one side of their usual booth at The Spoon as Andi and Buffy sit across from them. This configuration has become the norm for the group because no one dares to separate the boys from each other. As usual, Cyrus has a basket of baby taters in front of him, T.J. has his chocolate milkshake, and Andi and Buffy share their basket of baby taters. Occasionally, T.J. reaches and steals a baby tater from Cyrus claiming he was a ‘tater thief’. Cyrus playfully shoves his hand away from the basket (usually too late), but his wide smile gave away the fact that he was all too willing to share his delicious snack with the other boy. Andi and Buffy give each other a glance complete with playful eye rolls clearly noticing the obvious flirting between the two and the fact that they both seem completely oblivious to the other’s affection. This particular day, T.J. has his arm slung casually over the back of the booth. It was a harmless enough action, but Buffy catches his eyes as he shifts his body towards the other boy and immediately looked away making his intent all too clear.

“Any plans for the weekend?” Andi asks the group.

“Marty is taking me ice skating,” Buffy says with a smile, “despite the fact that neither of us knows how to ice skate.”

“I’m sure you two will still find a way to make a competition out of it,” Andi giggles and Buffy simply nods with an involuntary smile as she thinks of the charming brunette boy.

“That’s so cute!” Cyrus squeals, “I want someone to take me ice skating.”

“Cyrus,” Andi begins with a laugh, “I love you, but there’s a 99 percent chance you’d fall and break every bone in your body”

“He could do it,” T.J. responds defensively. “He just needs a proper teacher.”

The girls pause and look at each other. Andi breaks the silence with, “A teacher like you, T.J.?” T.J.’s eyes go wide, and he stutters, unable to form proper sentences. Noticing his panic, Buffy quickly changes the conversation by asking Cyrus to describe his trip to London.

“Oh my gosh, it was so cool,” Cyrus starts, his eyes lighting up. T.J. shoots a grateful glance at Buffy before fixing his eyes back to Cyrus who has begun rambling about his experiences with attending West End theatre productions, admiring the London Eye from afar (because of course he wouldn’t get on the ‘giant ferris wheel of death’ as he describes it), and ‘being immersed’ in the culture of the British people. He is halfway through a story about the parliamentary guards on horseback that he heard from his tour guide when the bell of The Spoon rings, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Buffy and Andi immediately shift their focus away from Cyrus, noticing the dimpled boy that has just walked through the door with a new girl by his side. Cyrus stops his story and looks at the girls across from him. “Jonah?” Cyrus asks with a sigh. The girls nod as Andi looks particularly worried, and Cyrus accepts the fact that he won’t be able to finish his story. T.J., however, has not shifted his focus away from the dark haired boy. He sits still invested in the unfinished story that Cyrus had been telling before he lost two-thirds of his audience to the human equivalent of sunshine.

“So what happened?” T.J. asks, his voice laced with urgency and his eyes wide with anticipation. “Did he ever call her?” Cyrus’s head turns to meet T.J.’s eyes. Noticing the complete sincerity in T.J.’s gaze, he begins to answer but is cut off yet again by Jonah excitedly greeting the group.

“Andi,” Jonah says, “I have someone for you to meet.”

“I can see that,” Andi responds, her voice dripping with resentment. This boy just never stops picking up girls, does he? T.J. immediately loses interest in the conversation, and notices Cyrus’s uncharacteristic glare at Jonah. The jock clears his throat loudly drawing all the attention to himself.

“Goodman and I actually have somewhere to be,” T.J. says already rising from his seat. Cyrus simply nods affirmatively (but confused) and slides himself out of the booth, and the two exit the restaurant. Jonah watches them with a disappointed look on his face before sliding himself into the newly empty side of the booth with his new girl.

—————

The boys walk in comfortable silence for a few moments. A chilling winter wind whips around them causing Cyrus to shiver and T.J. almost wraps his arm around the boy before realizing that would probably be weird. T.J. figures it’s better to let Cyrus cool down a bit. He’s unsure how to deal with an angry Cyrus because he’s never seen him like this.

“Thanks for getting me out of there,” Cyrus says finally. “Apparently no one can ever compete with Jonah Beck.”

“In your friend group,” T.J. says truthfully, “That certainly seems to be the case.” Cyrus nods sadly, and T.J. wants nothing more than to reach out and grab the boy’s hand to console him.

“I mean I used to be okay with it back when…” Cyrus trails off, unsure if he’s ready to share that part of his life with the boy beside him. He settles for, “But it’s different now.”

“What changed?” T.J. asks, unable to hide his intrigue.

“Well, I met you,” Cyrus says, and before he can talk himself out of it he adds, “And I no longer have a crush on Jonah.” T.J. smiles instinctively at the knowledge that he might have a chance, and Cyrus is scared to look at the boy, afraid of what his reaction might be. Historically, male jocks are not always the most accepting of people like Cyrus, but T.J is not like most of them. He has already proven that, and Cyrus hopes for a positive response.

“Are those two things related?” T.J. asks finally after composing himself. Cyrus nearly trips because of his shock at T.J.’s question. His breath catches in his throat as T.J. reaches out to save him from falling. T.J. can’t help but chuckle at the flustered boy, and his fingers linger on Cyrus a bit longer than necessary. “So are they?” T.J. asks again, curiosity eating away at him.

“No comment,” Cyrus mutters, his face tinged pink with embarrassment. T.J. nods, his heart suddenly beating out of control and a wide smile tugging at his lips. He just can’t get enough of the beautiful boy next to him, and T.J. now knows he might actually have a chance.

“For what it’s worth,” T.J. finally says, “I like you better than Jonah.”

“Thanks,” Cyrus replies with a twinkle in his dark eyes, “But you seem to be the only one who thinks that. But thank you.” T.J. playfully nudges Cyrus as they continue to walk down the street.

“Where are we going?” Cyrus questions, realizing that they aren’t going in the direction of the swings or either of his parents’ houses.

“My place,” T.J. replies, “If that’s cool with you, of course.” T.J. is suddenly nervous to be inviting him over for the first time. He knows the other boy won’t judge, but he can’t help but be a little ashamed of the tiny apartment he lives in. He hasn’t shared much of his family life with Cyrus or anyone for that matter.

“Yeah, totally,” Cyrus responds. Of course he’d be okay with it, T.J. doesn’t know why his brain always second-guesses everything. It’s just Cyrus. The only one who ever pushed enough for him to open up. The boy who inspired him to be a better person so he would be worthy of Cyrus’s affections. The cutest boy alive. Oh god, he was gone. He’s not even sure if it’s just a crush anymore. He might just be fully in love with the dorky Jewish boy. Cyrus would be the easiest person to interact with, but T.J. often felt himself intimidated by the boy’s intensely soft brown eyes and blinding smile. He is unfairly beautiful, and T.J. is struck with the unbearable urge to come out to Cyrus. He hopes that the other boy will make a move and he’ll be saved the heartbreak and embarrassment of his feelings potentially being unrequited.

In a not-so-smooth manner, T.J. just blurts out, “So, boys, huh?”

Cyrus chuckles, “Yeah, you know there’s a word for that?”

“Of course,” T.J. laughs as he nervously wipes his clammy hands on his jeans. “It also describes me. Me—gay. Um, I like boys as well.”

Cyrus stops, his mouth hung open in shock. T.J. turns to face him and finds Cyrus throwing his arms around his neck and pulling him down into a tight hug. After processing his initial surprise at the sudden affection, his arms wrap around the boy’s waist. T.J. nearly melts, and hopes that he can stay there with him forever, but Cyrus eventually pulls away.

“Sorry,” Cyrus says looking down at his feet. T.J. can just barely make out a faint pink tint to his cheeks, but he convinces himself that it’s just from the chilling winter air.

“No need to apologize,” T.J. assures him . “You seemed a bit surprised. Have I done anything to suggest heterosexuality?”

“You’re a basketball player?” Cyrus answers nearly immediately.

“Whoa, stereotypes. Can gay men not be athletic?” T.J. says. It’s almost playful, but there is a bit of an edge to his voice that suggests he is slightly offended.

“Sorry, I know,” Cyrus assures him. “I’m not questioning you or anything, I just didn’t expect it.”

“I was just playing. It’s all good.” T.J. says reassuringly. The boys walk a bit in silence. They’re both in awe of what just happened, but somehow more comfortable with each other than they’ve ever been despite their racing hearts and minds.

“At least now I know why you tear up at Love, Simon,” Cyrus teases.

“Any one who doesn’t is a heartless monster,” T.J. shouts passionately. Cyrus knows he’s dead serious, but he can’t help but giggle at the jock’s sudden outburst. T.J. is actually just a big, soft teddy bear, despite the bully persona that he often gives off to others his age.

“So,” Cyrus begins, a bright and curious smile forming on his face, “Do you have a crush on anyone at the moment?” At this, T.J.’s cheeks heat up and he resists the urge to just shout ‘You! You idiot!’ and run away from his issues.

Instead he says, “Time to go to my place,” and turns on his heels, thus avoiding his issues in a different way. Cyrus chuckles and follows the boy. He’s not going to pressure T.J., even though curiosity eats away at him and he’s way too nervous to tell the other boy how he feels, at least at the moment. When he catches up, he walks beside T.J. with their hands brushing occasionally, sending warmth up his arm and causing an involuntary smile on his face.

’T.J. Kippen is gay!’ He thinks to himself with a smile. ‘Maybe I have a chance!’


	2. Chapter 2

After quality time playing board games at T.J.’s apartment, Cyrus prepares to go home. Despite the small size of the apartment, it was nice and homey, and Cyrus absolutely loved his time there (though maybe it was the person he was spending the time with).

“T.J.,” Cyrus begins, his voice uneven and unable to look away from T.J.’s stunning green eyes. T.J. inhales deeply as he takes a step towards the nervous boy in front of him. He can’t help but notice how adorable his chocolate-brown eyes look all wide in his current panicked state.

“Cyrus,” TJ begins, his heart pounding in his chest, “I want—" Suddenly, the front door swings open. They jump apart from each other, and Cyrus quickly finds his shoes very intriguing.

“Dad,” TJ nearly shouts as a deep blush makes its way onto his cheeks, “I didn’t expect you to be home so early.”

“I got off early, so I thought I should come home and make dinner. We can order Chinese another night,” his Dad replies. T.J. is deep in thought trying to break down what he thought was about to happen. Was Cyrus really almost about to kiss him or even confess something? Damn his father's terrible timing. He barely grasps what his father tells him and opts to nod nondescriptly and hope he won’t become suspicious.

In the awkward silence, Cyrus steps forward and holds out his hand, “I’m Cyrus. It’s nice to meet you Mr. Kippen.”

“Nice to meet you too,” he says, giving the boy a firm handshake that nearly dislocates Cyrus’s arm. “TJ has told me so much about you.”

T.J.’s face heats up even more, his blush deepening. “Uh, Cyrus,” he begins, now a stuttering, blushing mess, “Well, he was just about to leave.” T.J. puts a hand on Cyrus’s back to steer him towards the door.

“Why don’t you stay for dinner?” His Dad asks. T.J. begins to panic. No way can he get through the awkwardness that is bound to ensue. Before T.J. can protest, Cyrus is nodding enthusiastically with an adorable, puppy-like smile on his face. T.J. can’t say no to that face.

————--

Thirty minutes later, T.J., his dad, and Cyrus sit around the Kippen’s kitchen table in silence apart from the forks scraping up the spaghetti and meatballs from the bowls in front of them. T.J. can’t help but steal glances at the dark haired Jewish boy across from him. Despite the awkwardness, he loves the domesticity of it and smiles at the idea that this could be a normal occurrence if the boy likes him back. Cyrus and him sitting around a dinner table with a home cooked meal.

“So Cyrus,” Mr. Kippen finally says, “Do you have any plans for the holidays?”

“Yeah, I celebrate Hanukkah which starts on Sunday,” Cyrus answers excitedly. “It’s always a busy time because I have two sets of parents, so I spend the eight days hopping around between houses.” T.J. admires how Cyrus’s eyes light up when he talks about the holidays, and he can’t help but smile at the dorky boy.

“Ah, so you’re Jewish?” T.J.’s dad asks, “All four parents?”

Cyrus nods and adds, “Also, all four are therapists.”

Mr. Kippen raises his eyebrows in surprise, “Wow that is a lot of mental health professionals! Must get overwhelming!” Cyrus laughs and nods sardonically as he looks down at his plate. T.J. slyly puts a hand on his knee comfortingly, noticing his discomfort with the subject. Their eyes lock for a brief second, and T.J. has to look away to keep himself from blushing.

“So T.J. hasn’t told me much about any holiday plans,” Cyrus says, desperately filling the silence and steering the conversation away from his overbearing parents. “What do you guys do for the holidays?”

“Well, this year T.J.’s sister and I have to work on Christmas morning, so I guess we don’t really have anything planned,” Mr. Kippen says.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Cyrus says soothingly.

“It doesn’t really feel like a holiday when it’s just the immediate family anyway,” T.J. bitterly states.

At this, Mr. Kippen seems to get mad. “Do you want to spend Christmas with your homophobic grandparents?” he scorns. T.J. shakes his head, unable to make eye contact with his dad. Mr. Kippen takes a deep breath and lets out the tension in his body. It is clearly evident where T.J. gets his somewhat fiery temper from, but his dad is much better at handling it. Cyrus notices that T.J. is still silently fuming, and he becomes desperate to fill the silence before the other boy has an outburst.

“I usually spend Christmas Day at my friend Andi’s,” Cyrus explains, “But long story short she kind of just met her dad so this is their first Christmas as a happy family and I didn’t want to intrude on that.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t be intruding,” Mr. Kippen assures him. “Any family would be lucky to have you for the holidays.” The second part is said directly towards T.J. who has released his anger and seemed to shift all the way in the direction of flustered. He and his dad have a silent conversation with their eyes as T.J. begins to blush. He finally looks away, stands up from the table, and announces that they are going up to his room. Cyrus follows him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

————--

T.J. walks briskly through the door of his bedroom and sits heavily on his unmade bed as Cyrus quietly shuts the door behind him. The jock falls onto his back and covers his face for the pillow.

“Are you okay?” Cyrus asks timidly. T.J. doesn’t answer, so Cyrus begins to examine the room around him. T.J.’s room is exactly what you’d expect out of a teenage boy. The walls are painted baby blue and there is a toy basketball hoop on the back of his door. The room is small, and the floor is littered with basketball shorts and brightly colored hoodies making it seem much smaller than it already is. There are a couple of trophies and baby pictures placed on shelves that clearly haven’t been dusted in the last five years. After a bit, Cyrus returns his attention to T.J. who has not moved from his position on the bed. For once, Cyrus doesn’t know how to comfort the boy, but he hopes that just being in the room with him will calm him down enough to talk.

Eventually, T.J. pulls the pillow away from his face and sits up groggily. His eyes are tinged red, clearly from trying to hold back his tears.

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” Cyrus says comfortingly, “But I’m here to help if you need.”

“Sorry it’s just—sometimes when you talk about your family it just makes me realize that I don’t really have one,” T.J. explains barely keeping his composure.

“You have a dad and a sister,” Cyrus offers, “That’s all the family you need.”

T.J. takes in Cyrus’s words with his eyes on his hands. “Yeah, I guess,” he contemplates, “My mom passed away a few years ago, my dad doesn’t have any siblings, and we stopped seeing my grandparents, ever since my sister came out to them so it’s really just us three.”

“I’m sorry to hear about all that,” Cyrus says placing a soothing hand on T.J.’s, “What exactly happened with your grandparents, if it’s not too much to ask?”

“When my sister came out to us, it was about two years ago. My dad sat me down and said ‘I want you to know that what your sister is feeling right now is completely normal and completely healthy, and I won’t tolerate anyone who tells her otherwise’,” T.J. recites his father’s words like he had just heard them yesterday. “I remember it vividly because I was just starting to seriously question my identity. I think that’s when I knew that I would be okay no matter what, but it was still really difficult for me.”

“I get that,” Cyrus comments, thinking back to his own experience. Despite all the support he got from Buffy, he was still petrified when it came to admitting it to others. He hadn’t even told his parents yet, even though he was sure they have their suspicions already.

“The next year,” T.J. continues, “my sister came out to our grandparents, and they were not accepting at all. So my dad got in a fight with them, and…we haven’t seen them since. His own parents.”

“You’re better off without them,” Cyrus assures him.

“I know,” T.J. says, “It just sucks to know that my own grandparents wouldn’t be proud of who I am. Even though I am.”

Cyrus offers a small smile to the boy and says, “I’m proud of who you are.” T.J. can’t help but blush and look away bashfully at the compliment. Cyrus is the most caring person he knows, so Cyrus being proud of the person T.J. is has to mean something.

————--

After cooling down, T.J. heads downstairs to send Cyrus off. T.J. watches as Cyrus slides on his sneakers by the front door, a silence hanging over them that’s uncharacteristic for their friendship.

“Sorry if that was awkward,” T.J. says in a desperate attempt to release the tension.

“No, I had fun,” Cyrus assures him. “Thanks for having me Mr. Kippen!”

His dad yells ‘anytime’ from his place in the kitchen as Cyrus zips up his jacket. He casts a signature Cyrus smile at T.J. and turns to open the door.

“Cy,” T.J. whispers, stopping Cyrus in his tracks. Cyrus turns around and looks up at the jock who once again can’t bring himself to say what he feels. He settles for, “I’m really glad you’re my friend.” Cyrus smiles his cutest smile and steps forward. He wraps his arms around TJ’s neck, pulling him into a hug. After a brief moment of shock at the physical intimacy, TJ’s arms find their way around the smaller boy’s waist. He feels as if his heart is about to leap out of his chest. He’s hugging Cyrus! The cutest of all cute boys has his chin resting on his shoulder! He never wants to pull away, but Cyrus reluctantly does after a few too many blissful seconds to be considered just friendly.

Cyrus’s face is painted with a shy smile as he says, “I’m glad you’re my friend too. See ya tomorrow.” His eyes cast a final glance towards TJ wearing a dopey grin as he disappears through the front door, leaving TJ in a dream-like state.

“Cyrus is nice,” T.J.’s Dad says, snapping him out of his haze. T.J. looks to his dad standing by the island in the kitchen, who witnessed the entire encounter. He has a knowing grin plastered across his face.

“What?” T.J. asks, maybe a bit too defensively.

“Nothing,” he replies. “It’s just good to see you happy after what happened at dinner. And happier in general.” T.J. just nods and smiles to himself, as he walks over to the sink and begins rinsing off the plates from that night’s meal of spaghetti and meatballs. He’s pretty sure he knows what his dad is trying to get at, but he doesn’t want to confirm anything.

“Son, I know I’m not always able to be here for you,” his dad begins, “But you should know there’s nothing you can’t tell me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” T.J. lies. He tries to speed up his kitchen cleaning duties, suddenly feeling an impulse to get out of the conversation as soon as humanly possible.

“Let me just say this,” his dad begins. “I really like Cyrus. And I love you, no matter what. Understand?” T.J. nods slowly in contemplation of if he should tell his dad the truth or keep perpetuating his poorly constructed lie. He knows his father can see right through him, but he won’t push too hard if T.J. seems uncomfortable. Making a decision, T.J. turns off the faucet and lets out a shaky exhale.

“Dad,” T.J. whispers, his voice small and nervous, “I like Cyrus. I’m gay.”

Without hesitating, his father wraps his arms around T.J., his son melting into the embrace. “I’m so proud of you, son,” his dad assures him. “I love you exactly the way you are.”

“How do you feel about both of us being gay?” T.J. asks somewhat jokingly.

“I love you both just as much!” His dad assures him, “But I guess the bloodline ends with you two.”

“Yeah, I guess it does,” T.J. laughs.

After a bit, T.J.’s dad says, “For the record, I think Cyrus feels the same way.”

“You think I should tell him?” T.J. asks nervously.

“Yeah. Go get him tiger,” His dad encourages with a playful push. “Lock that boy down. Be a man and ask that boy out.”

“That’s not a statement you hear too often…” T.J. starts before he’s cut off by his father again.

“And then be the sappiest boyfriend in existence with your ‘Cy, I’m happy you’re my friend’,” his dad teases.

“Ugh, you’re the worst” T.J. says, unable to hide the blush that creeps onto his cheeks and the dopey smile that tugs at his lips. God, he is so far gone.

“I have an idea. Your sister has to work on Christmas, why don’t you invite your boy over so you’ll have someone to spend time with?” his dad offers, a mischievous grin gracing his face, “It’d be the perfect time to confess.”

“I knew that was coming,” T.J. says, his cheeks now burning and deep red, ”And he’s Jewish. He doesn’t celebrate Christmas”

“Perfect!” His dad exclaims, “He won’t have plans.”

T.J. sighs and says, “Something tells me you aren’t going to let this go.” His dad shakes his head no and engulfs his son a tight hug earning a squeal from the basketball player. For a moment, T.J. and his father are carefree and messing around as they used to in old times. T.J. no longer holds a secret from his father, and his best friend in the world knows and accepts his identity. Plus, Cyrus Goodman is gay, cute as hell, and probably the sweetest person on the planet!


	3. Chapter 3

Cyrus scans the school cafeteria for any sign of his friends and heads over to a table as soon as he sees that Marty and Buffy are sitting at it. Buffy looks up at him and smiles as he sits down.

“Hey. Any idea where T.J. is?” Cyrus asks while scanning the cafeteria. “I didn’t see him this morning.”

“Nope. Your guess is as good as mine,” Buffy replies with a smirk, “What did you and T.J. do last night?”

“Oh we went to his place, and had dinner with his Dad,” Cyrus responds. “Why?”

“No reason,” Buffy says, clearly not meaning it. “You two left in a hurry.”

“Oh does Cyrus have a boy,” Marty interjects giving Cyrus a playful arm punch.

“No, how’d you—never mind,” Cyrus answers unaware that Marty even knew he was gay, “He just doesn’t like being a part of all the drama.”

“Or he just wanted to be alone with you,” Buffy says with a teasing edge to her voice making Cyrus blush and unable to speak. “Come on, Cyrus. You are the only person who doesn’t seem to realize that boy is totally whipped for you. You’ve caught yourself the captain of the basketball team.”

At the last statement, Marty’s face contorts into a look of utter confusion. “Wait, T.J. Kippen? That’s who we’re talking about.”

“Yeah. What other T.J. is there?” Cyrus asks, genuinely confused as to why Marty is just now figuring it out.

“Don’t freak out, Cyrus,” Buffy says before Marty can answer Cyrus’s question, “But T.J. is coming up behind you.”

Cyrus gives Buffy a pointed glare before turning to see the jock running up to him, and he almost melts into a blubbering mess. T.J. is wearing a green t-shirt that brings out his eyes. His hair is un-gelled and flopping effortlessly, and he is holding a white box with a swirly logo on it.

“Hey, Underdog,” he says, a genuine smile plastered across his face.

“Underdog?” Buffy snorts. “Where’d that one come from?”

Cyrus blushes and looks to T.J. as he sits next to him. A similar blushing smile is gracing his dopey face.

“Long story,” Cyrus answers finally, his gaze shifting shyly down to his hands.

“Oh sorry I wasn’t here this morning. I woke up early to get you these,” T.J. says, handing him the box. Cyrus opens it to reveal four large chocolate chocolate chip muffins. “My sister told me about this bakery near The Spoon that has the best muffins, and I had to go buy them for you as a Hanukah present.”

Marty watches with an open mouth and eyes wide in shock as Cyrus thanks T.J. The smaller boy even pulls the athlete into a tight hug which, again to Marty’s surprise, causes T.J. to blush.

“Close your mouth,” Buffy says giving him a firm nudge. “You look like a trout.”

“Sorry,” Marty mumbles, still staring at T.J. who has just noticed the other boy’s presence.

“Oh, hey man,” T.J. says awkwardly. “You’re Marty right?” He knows full-well who it is. He remembers clearly on the day of tryouts there was a pool of jealousy boiling in his stomach when he saw how close Buffy seemed to be with Marty. However, he pretends he doesn’t for the sake of keeping his secret, especially in front of Cyrus. Cyrus accepting his sexuality is way different than him being okay with T.J.’s former crush on his best friend’s current boyfriend? special friend? He doesn’t know what their relationship is exactly.

“Uh, yeah,” Marty answers quizzically, surprised that the boy even knows his name, “It’s—interesting to see you again.”

T.J. sighs, looking to Cyrus for support. “Listen,” he begins, “I’m really sorry I was a jerk to you. I was going through a lot, and I’m different now. Thanks to this dork.” He gestures to Cyrus who smiles one of his signature Cyrus smiles. T.J. casts his eyes away from the boy to hide his blush.

“Yeah,” Marty replies, now even more confused by the relationship between the two boys. He glances to Buffy who seems completely unfazed as she focuses on her taters. Marty must have zoned out because he suddenly hears Cyrus calling his name and sees him and T.J. standing and looking at him expectantly.

“T.J. and I were going to grab some ice cream,” Cyrus explains once Marty is finally responding to him. “Do you want anything?”

Marty politely declines. The two boys smile and turn around in-sync. Marty watches still in shock as they walk away. He notices T.J.’s dopey smile and the affectionate pat he gives Cyrus’s back that lingers a bit longer than necessary. Marty is brought back to earth by a jab to his side.

“Dude,” Buffy says, “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry, T.J. and Cyrus?” He replies, “How are they friends?”

“Oh right,” Buffy says with realization, “You weren’t here for that. So basically Cyrus has this thing where he has to give everyone ten thousand chances to prove they’re a good person. T.J. apologized, and it turns out he’s not a bad guy. He’s also really nice to Cyrus.”

“Yeah,” Marty snorts, “It’s like he’s in love with him.”

Buffy just nods with a smile. She sees how smitten they both are for each other despite the fact that neither of them can tell.

“They’re practically in a relationship,” Buffy says finally, “But they don’t know it.”

Marty laughs as Cyrus and T.J. return to the table with their ice cream in hand and dopey smiles on their faces.

“Where’s Andi?” Cyrus asks as he sits down and begins to unwrap his double chocolate fudge ice cream cone.

“Hanging out with Jonah’s new girlfriend,” Buffy responds with a slight sigh to her words. “That boy just keeps getting girls who are so similar to her.”

T.J. laughs and shakes his head, “Oh, that kid needs help.”

“How do you know Jonah?” Cyrus inquires.

“He used to date my sister,” T.J. replies nonchalantly, “But she’s a lesbian so it’s all very absurd now.”

The table is surprised by how causal T.J. is about it. Buffy is burning with a desire to point out how both of the Kippen siblings seem to be gay, but she doesn’t know how T.J. would take it. At this point, the only evidence she has for T.J. is based on her own hunches. Her suspicions include the way he treats Cyrus with a tenderness reserved only for him, the inability to stop smiling around Cyrus or keep himself from touching Cyrus in totally unnecessary ways, and the way he looks at Cyrus like he is the only good thing left on the face of the planet. When she met T.J. he was a complete and total jerk, but around Cyrus he was sweet, adoring, dorky even. It was a jarring adjustment to say the least, but Buffy can only come up with one reasonable explanation for this complete personality swap: T.J. Kippen is a gay basketball team captain who is completely enamored and taken with her dorky Jewish best friend. She knows that there’s probably a reason he hasn’t told her yet, and she doesn’t want to push him if he’s not ready.

“So you don’t have Christmas plans, right?” T.J. asks timidly, knowing the answer full well. Cyrus nods affirmatively. “Well, uh my dad was wondering if you wanted to come over on Christmas Eve and spend the night. So I’m not alone.”

Buffy snorts and questions, “Your dad was wondering?” This earns her a glare from T.J., and she apologizes while barely holding back her giggles.

“So?” T.J. asks, turning his attention back to Cyrus.

“Uh, yeah!” Cyrus responds excitedly, pulling himself out of his momentary haze. “I’d love to come! What’s the plan?”

Marty and Buffy exchange glances as the two lovesick fools discuss their plans for Christmas. After a few moments of excited blabbering and large, goofy smiles, Cyrus announces that he has to go talk to a teacher before class. T.J. gives him a pat on the back and nods farewell. As he watches Cyrus walk away, T.J.’s face remains plastered with the same wide smile. Marty clears his throat making the boy’s head snap around to face Marty and Buffy as his face begins to heat up.

“I guess I’m third wheeling now,” T.J. states.

“I know,” Marty responds, “It’s practically a double date when Cyrus is around.”

Marty immediately earns a kick in the shin from Buffy and T.J. is rendered speechless.

“Marty just means that you can tell us anything,” Buffy says, trying to ease a flustered T.J. who is currently looking down at his lap.

“Okay,” he admits finally, “I have a crush on Cyrus.”

“Congratulations,” Buffy says, feigning excitement, “You’re the last to know.”

“My teammates know,” T.J. informs, ignoring Buffy’s snarky comment. “They think I should tell him, but I don’t know. Good idea?”

“Yes please!” Marty shouts exasperated. “Put us out of our misery.”

“You’ve sat with us for one day,” Buffy says laughing at his reaction.

“I know!” Marty exclaims. “And it’s already agonizing!”

“My dad wants me to tell him on Christmas,” T.J. explains, ignoring Marty’s outburst. His eyes are trained on his restless hands on the table.

Buffy smiles sincerely and reaches across the table to quiet his fumbling hands, “Seriously, T.J. I think it’s a great idea!” She gives his hand a gentle squeeze of support, and T.J. smiles nervously at her. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to form the words to confess his feelings for the boy, but he’ll definitely try.


	4. Chapter 4

T.J. bursts into Amber’s room causing her to jump and throw her phone down on her bed.

“Please don’t burst in like that!” She yells frustrated.

“Sorry,” T.J. says half-heartedly before going in to a full-on rant. “How is it possible for one human being to be as adorable as Cyrus Goodman? I mean, come on! It’s not fair. His cute little rants and random dinosaur facts. His big chocolate-brown eyes and squish-able cheeks. And the smile that’s as bright as the sun. And don’t even get me started on the little shrug he does. Ugh I could die!”

“So you’re gay?” Amber questions, clearly taken aback by this new information.

“Oh yeah,” he laughs, “I’m gay. I’m surprised dad didn’t tell you.”

Amber just shrugs in response and pats her bed for T.J. to sit. As T.J. takes a seat, he notices Amber’s phone that is face up and open to her text conversation with Andi. He smiles up at her causing her to blush. The Kippen siblings are masters at non-verbal communication.

“Shut up,” She says, looking down embarrassed.

“I didn’t say anything,” T.J. responds throwing his hands up defensively.

“Let’s talk about Cyrus,” Amber says nudging her brother in the side.

“What else is there to say?” T.J. responds. “I mean he’s like a near perfect human. He’s inspired me to be a better person so I can be worthy of him.”

“I’ve noticed you’ve been in a much more pleasant mood lately,” Amber notes. “Is it because of him?”

“Yeah,” T.J. shrugs but his blush gives his feelings away. “He’s kind of amazing.”

Amber smiles and hugs T.J. She rubs his hair affectionately, and T.J. makes a weak attempt to escape her hair-ruining hands.

“Aww, even your hair is softer,” Amber notes. “You’re such a softie!”

She makes a move to squeeze his cheeks, but T.J. grabs her wrist and says, “I will kill you.” His harsh words, however, are undercut by his fond smirk.

“Are you going to tell him?” Amber asks.

“I think so,” T.J. responds, suddenly terrified of the impending conversation and potential rejection. “He’s coming over for Christmas, so I’ll have a lot of time with him alone. Dad thinks I should tell him then.”

“I agree,” Amber says. “You can do this.”

“Are you going to tell Andi?” T.J. questions with a poke to her side.

“Stop,” Amber purrs, “She’s probably straight anyway.”

“Just because she dated Jonah?” T.J. asks, “That’d be funny if two of Jonah’s ex-girlfriends dated.”

“Yeah,” Amber laughs grimly, “It’s not going to happen though.”

“Hey,” T.J. says comfortingly placing a hand on her shoulder. “She does seem to be spending a lot of time with you. You never know.”

“I love you, Teej,” She says as she picks up her phone and types out a response to Andi. T.J. attempts to look over her shoulder, earning him an elbow nudge to his side. He falls back onto the bed and begins to giggle.

T.J. hears a ding from his phone and notices the notification from Cyrus. He opens up his messages and sees a picture of the two of them from a few months ago causing him to smile like a dork. Amber smirks at T.J. suspiciously who shows her the picture, unable to speak. It depicted Cyrus trying to take a selfie, but his gaze was cast to T.J. who appeared to be wheezing with laughter. Underneath the picture was the text, “Candid pics are the best” with a red heart emoji.

“Ahh T.J.! Do you know what this means?” Amber squeals. “Why do you think anyone uses a red heart emoji?”

“It could just be like a bro thing,” T.J. suggests with a sheepish grin.

“No one ever just sends heart emojis as a bro thing,” she responds matter-of-factly. “T.J. are you actually this clueless?”

“I’m just scared to get my hopes up,” T.J. admits.

“It’s okay,” Amber comforts him, “Cyrus is kind and understanding. You have nothing to lose.”

“Except my dignity,” he mumbles.

A mischievous grin creeps onto her face as she says, “You didn’t have any to begin with.”

At this, T.J. forgets his worries as he pins her down aggressively. It would almost be intimidating, but his giggles give him away. Amber is accustomed to the attacks of her brother and she is able to hold her own agains the athletic teenager.

—————

Cyrus walks into The Spoon and immediately sees Andi sitting at her own booth in the corner of the restaurant. He walks up to her, and she looks up at him with a slight fear in her eyes.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Cyrus asks with worry lacing his voice.

She shakes her head no and gestures to the seat in front of her. “Just drowning my sorrows.”

Cyrus lets out an awkward laugh as he sits down and says, “I’m an expert at that.” When she doesn’t crack a smile, Cyrus shifts to a more serious disposition and asks, “What’s wrong?”

Andi lets out a shaky exhale and says, “How did you know you were gay?”

“I guess I just feel nervous around certain guys, my hands would sweat, and my heart would race,” he explains while thinking about T.J., “I realized that was how most guys feel about girls, and I didn’t really feel anything for them. I don’t know. Why do you ask?” She takes a deep, shaky breath refusing to make eye contact with him. “Andi, what’s wrong?” Cyrus asks again, reaching out to grab her hand.

“I think I might not be straight,” she finally lets out. Cyrus squeezes her hand reassuringly as a quiet symbol of his support and to urge her to continue. “I came here today to talk to Amber, but I got scared.”

“So you have a crush on Amber?” Cyrus questions for clarification.

“Why is it so hard to tell your crush that you like them?” Andi laments.

“I’m pretty sure that’s just a human thing, not a gay thing,” Cyrus comments. Then, struck with curiosity, he asks, “So are you bi or…”

“I don’t know,” She answers honestly.

“I like it,” Cyrus nods and smiles earning a relieved smile from Andi.

For the first time, Andi releases her stress a bit. Her breath feels easier and she lets out  a nervous laugh before asking, “So what brings you here?”

“My guess is he’s waiting for my brother,” Amber suddenly says, startling Andi and Cyrus.

“H-hi Amber,” Andi stutters out, a light blush beginning to tint her cheeks. Amber wears a similar expression, but only Cyrus seems to notice.

Ignoring the two lovesick girls and longing for a bit of clarification, Cyrus asks “Your brother?”

“Yeah,” Amber responds nonchalantly, “T.J. Kippen.”

Cyrus can’t hide the surprise in his voice as he gasps out, “You’re his lesbian sister who used to date Jonah.” Then, realizing he may have just outed her to Andi, he clasps a hand over his mouth and mumbles an apology.

Amber simply laughs and nods, clearly confident in her sexuality, something that Cyrus is somewhat jealous of. Clearly it’s a Kippen trait to just not give a shit what other’s think.

“Well, I have to go do my job,” Amber says reluctantly, then casting a soft look directly at Andi, she says, “It was nice to see you guys,” and walks to another table.

“Did you see that?” Cyrus squeals. “She was so flirting with you.”

“Stop it,” Andi says burying her face in her hands. “She definitely wasn’t.”

“Yeah, she was,” Cyrus pushes, “How can you not see that?”

“I don’t know,” Andi answers. “How can you not see that T.J. is totally in love with you?”

At this, Cyrus begins to stutter and blush. He shakes his head and says, “I just don’t want to get my hopes up.”

Andi leans forward and takes Cyrus’s hands in hers. “Cyrus, he’s gay. He clearly cares about you,” Andi explains comfortingly with a reassuring smile. “He would be an idiot to turn you down. And if he’s a jerk about it, Buffy and I will literally beat him up.”

“I don’t need you to do that,” Cyrus giggles. “I have been invited to his house for Christmas.”

Before Andi can respond, she notices T.J. walking through the door and waves him over. Cyrus turns to see T.J. and enthusiastically waves at him. This causes him to break out into the widest grin as he walks to Cyrus. He looks somewhat disappointed upon seeing Andi there, but he forces out a pleasant smile as he greets them before directing his attention solely to Cyrus. They begin to discuss their school days and Cyrus’s first couple days of Hanukkah. T.J. once again finds himself staring at the boy as he talks excitedly about the gifts he’s been given so far. Andi’s focus, however, begins to drift off to the other Kippen sibling who is helping another booth on the opposite side of the diner. The blonde haired girl turns around to look at her, and Andi waves and ducks her head nervously. Cyrus kicks her under the table earning a concerned look from T.J.

“Stop being so obvious,” Cyrus whispers. “You’re staring too much.”

“Wait,” T.J. says, “Do you like Amber?”

Blushing too much to be able to deny it, Andi squeezes her eyes shut and nods affirmatively. When she looks again, T.J. is wearing an expression of shock and joy that makes Andi question what he’s thinking.

“Andi,” He begins, nearly unable to keep his voice down, “You have to tell her! Like, now. Please!” Andi shakes her head puts it on the table. “I promise you,” T.J. urges, “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

She is about to make a sarcastic comment, but she notices complete sincerity in T.J.’s eyes. “Maybe later,” she responds, eager to shut down the conversation.

T.J. accepts this and turns back to Cyrus. “What do you have planned for the rest of Hanukkah?” T.J. asks the boy.

“Oh, tomorrow is the day I spend with all four of my parents, and they kind of told me I should invite you,” Cyrus explains nervously. “They will probably ruthlessly question you about everything, but they’re super set on you coming.”

“I’d love to come,” T.J. responds before he can let the nervousness of a dinner with all of his crush’s therapist parents sink in.

Cyrus and T.J. smile at each other, and T.J. feels his cheeks heat up. He, unknowingly, got closer to Cyrus during their conversation, and he is currently pressed up against him and staring directly into his deep brown eyes from only a couple centimeters away. Neither of them notice Andi’s eye roll at their obviousness and Amber approaching the table.

—————

The next day, Cyrus waits outside the boy’s locker room. He knows that T.J. says his teammates are totally cool with him being gay, but he doesn’t know how they’ll react to him being there. He stayed after school for a Film Club interest meeting and he told T.J. that he would wait for him after practice, so here he stands in the musky middle school hallway that smells faintly of mold waiting for his popular jock best friend (and crush). His mind wanders off to think about the beautiful green glow of the boy’s eyes (as he often finds himself doing nowadays), but he is pulled out of his dreams by an unfamiliar voice.

“Hey man,” Chris says, startling Cyrus like crazy. He is not used to basketball players talking to him (except T.J. of course). “You’re Cyrus, right?”

“Uh yeah,” Cyrus responds suspiciously, “How do you know my name?”

“You come to every game. You’re our biggest fan,” Chris answers coolly. “Plus, T.J. talks about you all the time.”

“All good things I hope,” Cyrus laughs nervously while feeling his cheeks heat up.

“Of Course,” Chris assures him, “I’m pretty sure he’s your biggest fan.”

“Cyrus knows he’s not able to hide the blush that makes it’s way onto his cheeks at that statement. He smiles and looks down to avoid Chris’s eyes and prays that he won’t take notice of his red cheeks.

Chris breaks the silence by asking, “So, are you waiting for Kippen?”

“Yeah,” he answers, “We’re headed to my house for Hanukkah. Why he wants to be ruthlessly interrogated by my parents over steaming latkes is beyond me.”

“I think I know,” He says grinning mischievously.

Cyrus is about to ask what he means, but he’s interrupted by a certain dirty-blonde haired basketball captain emerging from the boy’s locker room. His hair is freshly washed and adorably disheveled, and somehow he’s even more unfairly gorgeous than he’s ever been. It takes everything in Cyrus’s power not to drool at the mere sight of him.

He is broken out of his trance when he notices the nervous look on T.J.’s face as he approaches them.

“Chris, are you torturing Cyrus?” He asks placing a protective hand on Cyrus’s shoulder.

“Relax man,” Chris says, “Goodman and I were just having a chat.”

Cyrus nods and attempts to maintain his composure with T.J.’s arm around him, but he’s sure he looks like a tomato. T.J. looks at him to confirm Chris’s statement, and Cyrus forces out a chill bro-like smile before retreating back to his panicked state.

“Well, I know you guys have holiday plans so I will leave you to it,” Chris says. “It was nice to meet you, Cyrus.” He gives Cyrus the classic bro-hug before shoving T.J.’s shoulder, ruffling his already messy hair, and walking away.

“Are you ready to light the menorah and be ruthlessly questioned by all four of my parents at the same time?” Cyrus asks turning to T.J. with a sarcastic smile.

“I can’t wait,” T.J. answers. He wants to add ‘anything to hang out with you’, but he worries that would sound way too flirty. T.J. is confident in his sexuality, but he still doubts that the boy of his dreams could ever return his affections.

Cyrus simply nods and lets out a light laugh. As he begins to walk out the door, he gestures with his head for T.J. to follow him.


	5. Chapter 5

After T.J. leaves Cyrus’s house, Cyrus begins to clean up the kitchen. He’s proud of the way he kept it together amongst the prying eyes of his four therapist parents and his crush (although crush doesn’t seem like a strong enough word to describe his feelings for T.J. at this point), but he’s blissfully unaware of his parents’s eyes on him as he fills the dishwasher. All four of them are having silent conversations about whether to say anything to their child or keep quiet about it.

After much wordless deliberation, his stepfather Todd breaks the silence with, “So…is T.J. your boyfriend?”

Cyrus stops dead in his tracks, the plate in his hand just short of the dishwasher. He swallows thickly, and wills himself to speak. To say anything to deny it. Before he can stop himself, he mutters out, “I wish,” and squeezes his eyes shut. He braces himself for a reprimand or some sort of comment about how God doesn’t support homosexuality, but he gets nothing. “I’m sorry,” he adds.

“Cy, honey,” Leslie says, “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“You’re okay with me being gay?” Cyrus asks, still unsure of the whole situation.

“Of course,” his stepmom Sharon assures him, “It’s just who you are.”

Cyrus looks to his other three parents who nod their heads affirmatively, his mother moving to embrace her son in a tight hug. Cyrus leans willingly into Leslie’s arms, and his three other parents join in on the affection. They stand as a happy family, wrapped in each other’s arms. Cyrus wants to cry from relief and happiness.

The rest of the night Cyrus answers questions about his friendship with T.J. as he cleans. He can’t help but notice his father’s silence. The other three of his parents engage Cyrus in discussion while Norman sits stoic and quiet.

—————

When Cyrus finally retreats to his room, he finds himself calling T.J. The boy picks up with the same enthusiasm he seems to always devote to Cyrus.

Before he can say anything other than hello, Cyrus informs him, “I came out to my parents.”

“That’s great!” T.J. exclaims. What worries T.J. is the silence from the other end of the phone. “I mean, is it great?” T.J. asks his voice slightly wavering.

“My dad didn’t really say anything,” Cyrus says, his voice uneven and slightly cracking. “He hugged me with everyone else, but he didn’t seem okay with it.”

“Maybe he just needs some time to process it,” T.J. reasons. “That’s how my dad reacted when Amber came out to him and now he’s the greatest ally there is.”

T.J.’s words soothe Cyrus as he lays back on his bed.

“It’ll be okay, Cy,” T.J. assures him when Cyrus doesn’t answer.

“I know,” he responds trying to convince himself of T.J.’s words. “Thanks for coming over tonight.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” T.J. responds, a smile clearly evident in his voice, “I had a lot of fun.”

“My parents didn’t torture you to death?” Cyrus jokes.

“No, no,” T.J. giggles, “they are lovely people.” A silence hangs between them, and before T.J. can stop himself he adds, “Just like you.” Cyrus’s heart flutters at this. How can three simple words ignite him so much? He can only manage a small sounding thank you because he’s afraid that if he says anything more his voice will betray him.

Once Cyrus calms his heart down, exhaustion hits him. He almost falls asleep listening to the soothing sound of T.J.’s breath.

“Cy,” T.J. begins, pulling Cyrus out of his dream-like state, “Is there maybe a reason you were discussing your sexuality with your parents?”

Cyrus is caught off guard as he stutters, “No comment.”

“Don’t play that with me,” T.J. says trying to sound annoyed.

“You played that with me when I asked you about your crush!” Cyrus points out, sending T.J. into a slight panic. Before he can answer, Norman Goodman appears in Cyrus’s doorframe. He didn’t realize he left his door ajar.

“Sorry my dad’s here,” Cyrus says weakly. He had forgotten his worries while listening to T.J., but the sight of his disapproving father brought him back down to earth.

“Okay, I should probably go anyway,” T.J. responds. Cyrus thinks he sounds a bit disappointed but he doesn’t let his mind run wild with that thought. “Just be strong…I love you, Cy.”

Cyrus nearly short circuits. T.J. Kippen. His crush. Just said ‘I love you’ to him. He has to be dreaming. But on the off-chance that this is actually real life, Cyrus decides it’s best to respond with a shaky, “I—I love you too, T.J.”

T.J. says goodnight and hangs up immediately as he lets out a sigh of relief. Smiling like a dork, he looks at his lock-screen on his phone. It now shows the candid photo that Cyrus sent him a few days prior. He changed his lock-screen approximately 2.5 seconds after he stopped freaking out about the red heart emoji that accompanied Cyrus’s text to him. He runs into Amber’s room yet again to relay all the details of his night (especially just how adorable Cyrus looked in his fancy holiday outfit and the fact that CYRUS SAID I LOVE YOU BACK!!!). He’s not sure if he can tell that fact to Amber without screaming in her face, but it’s worth a shot.

Meanwhile, Cyrus cautiously looks up at his father who is wearing an unreadable expression. It’s not like him to be stone-faced, and Cyrus feels a pit of despair growing in his stomach.

His father is clearly refusing to speak first, so Cyrus pulls out every bit of courage he has and asks, “Are you okay with it?”

Norman pauses and looks down at his feet. “I don’t know how to feel,” He answers honestly. “I was raised in a very conservative household. I try not to let those archaic views I was taught affect my parenting, but this is hard. I’m sorry.”

“It’s harder for me,” Cyrus responds harshly.

“I know. That’s why I’m trying to be better for you, son.”

Cyrus accepts this as he silently contemplates his father’s words.

“Cyrus,” Norman croaks, “The one thing I know for certain is that I love you. If being gay is part of who you are, then I will learn to love that part of you. That’s all I can offer right now.”

“Your job is a parent is to be supportive,” Cyrus says, “If I end up dating T.J., you would have to be okay with that.”

“And I would be,” Norman promises to a disbelieving Cyrus, “T.J. is a lovely young man. If he’s what makes you happy, I’m happy for you.”

Cyrus nods. He’s still skeptical of his father, but he is done fighting the battle. He knows he’ll come across far worse forms of bigotry against him, but the fact that it comes from his father is what’s particularly heartbreaking. His dad steps fully inside his room and sits next to Cyrus on the bed who instinctively tenses up.

“So, T.J.’s not your boyfriend?” Norman asks. Cyrus nods his head in response. “He will be.”

“What do you mean?” Inquires Cyrus.

“I’m not blind,” Norman responds. “He’s in love with you. It’s only a matter of time.”

Norman gives Cyrus’s stiff body a hug before standing up from his bed and walking awkwardly out of his room. Cyrus doesn’t know whether to smile or sob. He considers calling T.J. again, but holds himself back. He decides to let the weight of the mutual ‘I love you’s settle for the night as he wiggles under his comforter and wills for sleep to come.

—————

The next day, Cyrus waddles into school groggily. He was unable to fall asleep after all the excitement from the day before.

“‘Morning Cy!” T.J. exclaims. A wide smile is spread across his face, and his hair is perfectly styled as if he spent a lot of time in front of the mirror. Cyrus knows he’s staring too much, but his delirious state refuses to let him look away.

“You’re far too put together for it to be this early in the morning,” Cyrus whines.

“I got more sleep than I’ve had in a while,” T.J. explains, although he leaves out the part about how he fell asleep thinking about the boy in front of him and how his alarm woke him up just before he was about to kiss Cyrus in his blissful dream.

“I think we switched sleep schedules,” Cyrus groans, burying his head into his open locker melodramatically.

T.J. smirks at how adorable the boy is being, and he reaches out to rub Cyrus’s back affectionately. “How’d everything go with your dad last night?” T.J. sincerely asks. His hand still lingering on Cyrus’s back feels like it is burning a hole straight through to his pounding heart.

“It went okay, I guess,” Cyrus answers lifting his head out of his locker and looking straight at T.J. “He doesn’t hate me, at least.”

“That’s a start,” T.J. answers. He gives Cyrus’s shoulder a squeeze, and holds up a muffin, “I got this for you. Chocolate chocolate chip muffin.”

Cyrus grabs the bag without hesitation and excitedly thanks T.J. “You’re a life saver,” he says gratefully, “I didn’t have time to eat breakfast. Or do my hair.”

T.J. turns Cyrus to face him, and examines the boy’s dark silky locks. “Let me help,” He says as he arbitrarily rearranges a few of the strands. There wasn’t really anything wrong with it (there was never anything wrong with Cyrus’s appearance in T.J.’s mind), but T.J. just wanted an excuse to run his fingers through Cyrus’s hair which causes both of them to develop sufficiently pink cheeks.

Buffy and Marty stand nearby watching T.J. and Cyrus interact. Buffy rolls her eyes at T.J.’s hair-fixing. The two dorks are so obviously in love with each other yet they each seem blissfully unaware of the other.

“Dear God,” Marty proclaims, “T.J. is especially touchy today.”

“What happened last night?” Buffy asks rhetorically.

“Maybe they finally figured out they’re dating,” Marty suggests.

“Yeah right,” Buffy laughs at the absurd notion that her gay disaster of a best friend could somehow become less of a disaster overnight. Then struck with curiosity, she asks, “Speaking of that, have we figured out what we are?”

“I don’t think so,” Marty blushes, “I want you to be my girlfriend, and I’ve wanted that forever so it’s up to you.”

Buffy takes Marty’s hand as the warning bell rings. “Then, I’ll see you after class, boyfriend,” She says giving the flustered boy a kiss on the cheek and walking in the direction of her first class. Marty smiles to himself as he watches her walk away. Then, closing his locker, he walks in the opposite direction to his first class of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know enough about Hanukkah to actually write about it, so I decided to not write it so as not to offend anyone. Hope you enjoyed!


	6. Christmas Eve Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Eve at the Kippen's causes a lot of shameless flirting.

At around six in the evening on Christmas Eve, T.J. found himself running around to set up the house. His dad and sister were out of the house so T.J. was alone in his efforts to prepare himself for Cyrus. He knows deep down that Cyrus would be content with anything, but he had to make it perfect. Without Amber there to bring him back to earth, T.J. is nervous beyond belief. He is straightening his blue snowman sweater in the bathroom mirror and fixing his hair for the twentieth time in the last hour when he hears a timid knock on the front door. He takes a deep breath and rushes to open the door to reveal the adorable smiling Jewish boy in the crisp winter air.

“Happy Christmas,” Cyrus yells excitedly, his wide smile beaming from eye to eye.

“Oh, uh it’s Merry Christmas,” T.J. corrects with a wide dopey smile.

Cyrus giggles, “I know, ya dork. I’m Jewish, I’m not stupid.”

T.J. laughs heartily at the adorable boy in front of him, a slight blush dusting his cheeks entirely against his will. Hopefully Cyrus will think it’s because of the cold. His red cheeks only deepen in color when he notices the package wrapped in blue paper with colorful balloons all over tucked under the boy’s arm.

“Who’s birthday is it?” T.J. asks cheekily.

“Jesus’s,” Cyrus answers immediately. “I had Hanukkah wrapping paper, but it seemed a bit sacrilegious to use it.”

“Don’t worry about me,” T.J. assures him, “I’m not really religious at all.” ‘Though I would be willing to convert to Judaism for you,’ he thinks, but of course he has to keep that thought to himself. He’s so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice Cyrus checking him out.

“Nice sweater,” Cyrus flirts, giving T.J. a playful shove on the shoulder. “You look—festive.”

“Thank you,” T.J. replies, a wide smile tugging at his lips and his blush deepening on his face that he knows isn’t just from the chill of the open door. ‘Keep it together, Kippen’ he thinks to himself.

“So,” Cyrus begins, dragging out the word awkwardly, “Are you going to let me in?”

“Oh yeah,” T.J. responds, rapidly stepping out of the doorway, “Come inside.”

Cyrus laughs and steps inside the Kippen house. He shrugs off his jacket and hangs it on a hook allowing T.J. to get a full look at his crush’s outfit. He stumbles to change the subject to anything other than the handsome and beautiful boy in front of him.

“I don’t really know how to get a package to Jesus” T.J. jokes while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“Oh, the wrapping paper is for Jesus, but the present is very much for you,” Cyrus responds. “And contrary to popular belief, Jewish people do believe in Jesus. He was just a really cool prophet, not the Messiah like Christians believe.”

T.J. smiles and says, “Sounds like a cool guy.”

Cyrus catches T.J.’s eyes flitting down to his outfit yet again, and he suddenly starts to feel self-conscious. “I’m overdressed, aren’t I?” He asks.

“No, no, you look good,” T.J. assures biting his lip unintentionally. His eyes widen at the sudden realization of what he just said. “I mean the suit’s nice—not because you’re wearing it or anything. Obviously.”

Cyrus swears he can see the soft pink blush on T.J.’s cheeks deepen as he stammers. Even in his flustered state the boy is too beautiful for words. “Thank you, T.J.,” Cyrus says, cutting T.J. off before he can dig himself further into a hole.

“I can lend you something more comfortable if you want,” T.J. offers. “I have other non-religious Christmas sweaters.”

“I’ll only accept the one off your back,” Cyrus jokes.

“Deal,” T.J. says with a smirk. He winks at Cyrus and takes off the sweater, exposing his muscled chest. Cyrus’s breath catches in his throat. His crush on T.J. is really not based off of physical attraction, but holy shit T.J. is hot and Cyrus can’t help but acknowledge that in this moment. Cyrus swallows the lump in his throat and attempts to maintain his composure. When T.J. hands him the sweater, Cyrus utters out a thank you but it sounds small and strangled. He doesn’t notice that T.J. checks him out again.

“I might have some sweats you can wear,” T.J. says, nudging Cyrus, “You can put that sweater on.”

“Um, I’m self-conscious,” Cyrus tells T.J. feeling defeated. There is no way he’s competing with T.J.’s confidence or athletic body, “Can I use the bathroom?”

“Oh sure,” T.J. replies, gesturing for Cyrus to follow him.

After a few minutes, Cyrus emerges from the bathroom in oversized sweats and the blue sweater that seems to be slightly too big. T.J. knows he’s smiling the widest smile possible, but he can’t hide his joy at seeing Cyrus in his clothes. He is absolutely adorable. Well, T.J. has to admit he always thinks Cyrus is adorable, but right now is a cuteness overload. A deep blush burns his face and T.J. has to look away.

“Um, I think it’s time for some holiday baking,” T.J. exclaims. His voice seems to have risen a whole octave, but he tries to keep his cool as he wipes his hands on his own sweats and heads to the kitchen.

—————

The Kippen kitchen is quite small, so there’s barely enough room for both him and Cyrus as they bake. After mixing the dough together, Cyrus has somehow managed to get flour on his cheek.

“Face me, Cy,” T.J. chuckles. Cyrus looks him in the eye as he reaches up to gently wipe off the white powder. Yet again, he feels the blood rushing to his face, and Cyrus seems to blush too. T.J.’s eyes flick to Cyrus’s lips. He almost makes the decision to lean forward and finally connect with the boy he’s been pining over for months, but he’s interrupted by Amber coming into the kitchen.

“Alright, break it up lovebirds,” She jokes, earning flustered looks from both of the boys. “What are we baking?”

“Gingerbread cookies!” Cyrus shouts, quickly attempting to busy himself. T.J. is still in a haze until Amber comes over and punches him playfully in the side with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He glares at her then turns his attention towards Cyrus who is searching the kitchen for a cookie sheet. T.J. opens a cabinet right next to where Cyrus is and hands him a cookie sheet from it with a dorky grin. T.J.’s dad joins them when the cookies are ready

While they bake, Cyrus is careful to not let his touch linger when Amber is watching. He keeps stealing glances at the jock when he thinks T.J.’s sister isn’t looking. At one point, he catches T.J.’s eyes on him who immediately looks away. Cyrus bites back his smile at that.

—————

After they clean the kitchen, Amber goes off to bed, and Cyrus and T.J. settle down on the reclining couch to begin their movie marathon. Huddled under about twenty blankets, T.J. makes sure to sit down with an appropriate distance of about half-an-inch between their bodies as _Love Actually_ begins.

About twenty minutes after they start their second holiday movie, Mr. Kippen walks in and pauses it.

“I’m going to bed,” He announces, “You two should probably make your way to a bedroom so I don’t accidentally wake you up at five in the morning. Can I talk to you, T.J.?”

T.J. throws the blankets off himself and walks to his father.

“If you go to your room, different beds and the door open, okay?” Mr. Kippen reprimands. “It’s the same rules for your sister when she brings a girl over.”

“I know dad,” T.J. nods, feeling his cheeks heat up.

His dad pinches his cheek and says, “You should tell him.”

“I’ll try,” T.J. answers, moving his head away from his father’s hand. “It’s like every time I try, my voice stops working.”

“Well, I believe in you, and I know you’ll be fine,” Mr. Kippen assures him. He pulls his son into a tight hug and T.J. takes a deep, soothing breath. “Merry Christmas, son,” he says.

“Merry Christmas, dad,” T.J. responds, his voice muffled by his dad’s sleep shirt.

When T.J. pulls away, his dad pats him on his shoulder blade as a bit of extra encouragement towards the boy. As T.J. settles back down on the couch, Mr. Kippen wishes them a Merry Christmas and walks up the stairs. T.J. turns his attention back to Cyrus.

“Why do you have a message from Chris that says ‘tell him how you feel’?” Cyrus asks. T.J.’s eyes widen and he freezes like a deer in headlights. “Why did you tell Chris about your crush and not me?”

T.J. quickly reaches for his phone out of Cyrus’s hands. Cyrus looks genuinely hurt, and it crushes T.J. T.J. cannot let him feel bad. “Honestly, Chris only knows because he figured it out himself.” It’s not totally a lie, but he knows he’s stretching the truth. The only reason Cyrus doesn’t know is because it’s him. And that would require a confession that T.J. has been putting off for a long time. He wishes he could just tell Cyrus how he feels, but it’s just not that simple. Every time he tries, the words fail him.

Cyrus’s face contorts into confusion as he tries to piece it together, “Is it someone on the basketball team?”

T.J. just smiles and shakes his head. None of those dumbasses even compare to Cyrus, and the idea of having a crush on one of them is absurd to him.

“Well, how did Chris figure it out?” Cyrus asks, clearly offended that T.J. wouldn’t tell him first. Although to be fair, Cyrus hasn’t told T.J. about his crush—on T.J.

“Just leave it alone,” T.J. responds a bit too harshly earning a look of sadness from the boy. T.J. rushes to make it better. He closes his eyes and explains, “I’m just not ready to tell you yet. I promise I’ll tell you when I am.”

Cyrus nods in acceptance of this, his head still churning with questions about who it could be. The overwhelming thought in his head is ‘What if it’s me?’, and for once, Cyrus cannot push the thought away. It’s becoming more likely that he is the object of T.J.’s affections. Cyrus doesn’t want to get his heart too set on the idea, but all the evidence he has makes him wonder. T.J. used to be a scary jock. He was a complete jerk to his best friend, and he seemed to not care about anyone’s feelings. Now he’s not only kind to Cyrus, but also to everyone else. He bent over backwards to be on good terms with Buffy, and Cyrus could only imagine that all that effort was just so he could spend time with Cyrus without feeling guilty. The boy he’d imagined when Buffy complained about him all the time was worlds away from the boy with him now. Cyrus looks at T.J. who is engrossed in the movie _Elf_ on the TV. Supposedly, he’s seen the movie a thousand times, but his expressions look as if he’s viewing it for the first time. As if feeling Cyrus’s eyes on him, T.J. turns his head to face Cyrus. The corners of his mouth are upturned, and Cyrus swears he can see the hints of a blush on his cheeks. In that moment, Cyrus decides that tonight he’s going to confess. The thought makes his heart skip a beat and slightly tense up.

T.J., who has his side pressed up against the smaller boy, feels him tense up and asks “Are you okay, Cy?”

Lost in thought, Cyrus only nods earning a confused look from T.J. He keeps his eyes trained on the TV screen, feeling T.J.’s gaze burning into him. When T.J. finally turns his attention back to the movie, Cyrus lets out a sigh of relief.

“By the way,” T.J. begins timidly, “You don’t have anything to be self-conscious of.”

T.J. doesn’t dare turn his gaze to Cyrus, but he knows the boy is looking straight up at him. “What do you mean?” Cyrus asks with a glimmer of hope in his tone. At this, T.J. makes the mistake of meeting the boy’s shimmering brown eyes. His mouth goes dry.

“Um—I just mean that your body is perfect—I mean, it’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with you, and,” T.J. finally cuts himself off from his rambling rather abruptly.

“And what?” Cyrus questions.

“And,” T.J. starts again, feeling his breath catch in his throat. ‘God, why is it so difficult to get the words out?’ He thinks to himself.

“T.J.,” Cyrus says soothingly placing a hand on top of T.J.’s. He looks down at their connected hands as he feels a shock running through his arm.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” T.J. announces in his panicked state. He stands up and runs away leaving a concerned Cyrus on the couch.

Cyrus immediately texts the Good Hair Crew group chat which causes Buffy to (very angrily) text T.J.

T.J. is looking into the mirror building up the courage to tell him when he hears his text tone. He looks down to see a string of messages from Buffy. He sighs and opens them up.

Buffy: What the hell b-ball boy?

Buffy: Pls stop being dumb and go tell cy you’re in love with him

Buffy: like now

Buffy: Im so done with you dorks

T.J. lets out a strangled groan as he sends back the text, ‘I will right now. I promise.’

When he opens the door to the bathroom, Cyrus is standing just outside, his hand in a fist hovering over the door. They both stand awkwardly before they both say, “I have something to tell you.”

“Oh, you first,” T.J. quickly offers.

“No, you can go first,” Cyrus says, letting out an awkward laugh.

T.J. shakes his head and keeps his eyes trained on Cyrus.

“I’m really sorry if this gets in the way of our friendship or whatever, but I’m really done hiding it and I just need you to know,” Cyrus rambles, “I have a crush on you. I don’t want anything to change between us. I really value your friendship, but I just want more. I’ve tried to will it away but—”

“I don’t want you to will it away,” T.J. says with a beaming smile on his face. Noticing the confusion on his face, T.J. continues, “Cy, I have literally had a crush on you since the moment we met. I don’t believe in love at first sight, but what I feel for you is pretty damn close. I love you so much.”

Cyrus can’t speak in his awestruck state, but his body goes on autopilot as he launches forward and wraps his arms around T.J. For the first time, he nuzzles his face into T.J.’s chest as the jock’s arms wrap around his waist. Cyrus can’t see the lovestruck grin as he gazes down at the boy in his arms. T.J. gives into his impulses and kisses the top of the boy’s head. The dark strands of Cyrus’s hair tickle his nose and he giggles. Cyrus looks up at him, his chocolate-brown eyes sparkling with unshed tears of joy.

“I love you too,” Cyrus says, hypnotized by T.J.’s bright green eyes.

—————

T.J. and Cyrus find themselves on the couch again (although this time Cyrus presses his side against T.J.). As they make their way through the rest of the movie, Cyrus rests his head on T.J.’s shoulder earning a smile from T.J. who leans his head on top of Cyrus’s. T.J. wraps his arm around Cyrus’s waist, and the boy looks up at him.

“My arm was falling asleep,” T.J. justifies. It is true, but it’s not the whole truth.

“Of course,” Cyrus answers, clearly not believing T.J. The jock blushes his eyes flickering down to Cyrus’s lips. They are so close. An inch more and they would be connected. Silently asking for permission, Cyrus places his hand softly on T.J.’s cheek. T.J. nods, leaning half-an-inch forward and beginning to tilt his head. His heart is racing out of his chest. Both of their eyes flutter shut as Cyrus closes the gap.

There are no fireworks or life-altering revelations, but it is an indescribable feeling. Finally giving into to the months of quiet pining and not-so-subtle urges, T.J. relishes in the feeling of Cyrus’s lips on his. The kiss is short and chaste, but T.J. is filled with all the butterflies possible as he rests their foreheads together and gazes into the boy’s eyes. Neither of them speak, simply admiring each other and enjoying the intimacy of the moment.

“Best Christmas ever,” T.J. whispers, breaking the silence that hangs between them. T.J. places a playful kiss to the boy’s nose causing Cyrus to laugh. “We should probably get up to my room.”

Cyrus shakes his head and rests it on T.J.’s chest. T.J. is sure Cyrus is able to hear his rapid heartbeat, and he wonders how the boy is able to doze off when T.J. is unable to quiet his heart or his mind. His arm instinctively tightens around Cyrus’s waist as he begins to feel the boy’s breath deepen. As T.J. drifts off into a deep slumber, there is one thought overwhelming his mind. ‘This is home. Cyrus is home.’

—————

The next morning, T.J. opens his eyes to find him and Cyrus in the same position as last night. T.J. has his arm around Cyrus who is using his chest as a pillow. The boy looks so peaceful as he sleeps and T.J. can’t help but admire him. His neck is sore from the awkward position he is in, but the boy next to him makes it all worth it. He smiles at the memory of what happened last night. If he didn’t still taste Cyrus’s honey-flavored chapstick on his lips, he would think it was all just another blissful dream. He doesn’t want to wake the boy up, so he’s glad that his phone is within easy reach. He immediately notices a notification from his sister, and beams when he opens it up. There is a picture of him and Cyrus sleeping on the couch and the text ‘Merry Christmas! You two are explaining this all when I get back from work’. T.J. absentmindedly runs his fingers through Cyrus’s messy hair and watches the rise and fall of the boy’s breath. When Cyrus stirs, T.J. pulls his hand away from his head out of instinct, but he’s hit with a reminder that he doesn’t have to do that anymore. Cyrus likes him back. Cyrus is his. He had waited to say that for far too long, and now he breathes a sigh of relief.

Cyrus opens his eyes and turns his head to face T.J. His chin is still resting against T.J.’s chest as he smiles at T.J.

“Good morning handsome,” Cyrus says, his voice cracking slightly due to him just waking up.

“Good morning, Cy,” T.J. responds. His heart is beating out of his chest, and his voice is soft and affectionate as ever. There is an unspoken ‘I love you’ that hangs in the air between them, but T.J. doesn’t need to say it for Cyrus to understand.


End file.
